


Baby you can drive my car

by Uny_Kitty



Category: 9-1-1: Lone Star (TV 2020)
Genre: Carlos' Camaro, Established Relationship, Fluff, M/M, Past Drug Addiction, Set before 2x06, with the barest hint of angst
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-03-18
Updated: 2021-03-18
Packaged: 2021-03-27 17:27:40
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,308
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/30126297
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Uny_Kitty/pseuds/Uny_Kitty
Summary: TK doesn’t have a driver’s license. He’s never felt like he needed one. But that was before he moved to Texas. And before Judd decided to teach him how to drive the fire truck.Lucky for him, TK has an amazing boyfriend who owns a flashy blue camaro and who’s willing to teach him. What’s the worst that could happen?
Relationships: Carlos Reyes/TK Strand
Comments: 7
Kudos: 160





	Baby you can drive my car

**Author's Note:**

> There's barely any driving in this, it's just some short and mindless fluff as I carefully dip my toe into this fandom! This was called 'Tarlos cars au' while it was in my drafts lmao

TK sighs as soon as he steps inside the house, the tension of the day leaving him as the delicious smell of cooking meat and spices drifts around him.

Carlos, who’s diligently working in the kitchen, looks up and smiles warmly at him, happy to see that he’s safely back home. It’s the same smile his boyfriend gives him every time he steps through the door, and it still steals TK’s breath away, even after months of dating.

“Hi baby.” TK greets him with a smile of his own, toeing off his shoes and dropping his duffel bag by the door.

“Hey sweetheart.” Carlos answers him, going back to stirring whatever is on the stove that smells so good. “How was your day?”

“Fine.” TK answers, keeping his voice carefully neutral as he makes his way towards the kitchen. “I missed you.”

Carlos hums and holds an arm out in invitation. TK doesn’t need to be asked twice as he takes the last few steps to the kitchen and lets himself fall into his boyfriend’s comforting hug. He closes his eyes and smiles as a soft kiss lands on his temple.

“I missed you too… but you reek, babe.” Carlos says, completely ruining the moment. TK steps away from him with an angry gasp, lightly hitting his treacherous boyfriend on the stomach.

“It’s true!” Carlos laughs and grabs his arm before he can hit him again. “Go take a shower. Dinner’s going to be ready once you're done.”

TK pouts and decides to go do just that. He tries to get a final kiss before he goes but Carlos dodges out his way, telling him that he truly does stink, and slaps his ass instead.  
___

Carlos is telling him a pretty funny story, about the time one of the officers he works with had forgotten to turn off his radio and forced the entire precinct to listen to his horribly off-key rendition of pocketful of sunshine, when he abruptly stops talking mid-sentence.

His eyebrows pull together in a slight frown as he looks at TK, concern in his warm brown eyes. “Are you okay?”

TK sighs, letting his fork drop into his plate as he runs a hand through his hair. He’d managed to ignore the uneasy feeling he’d left work with all evening, but the simple question brings them back like a tidal wave. Still, he can’t help the small smile that tugs at his lips at how scarily good his boyfriend is at picking up on his moods, no matter how hard he tries to hide them.

“I’m fine. I just…” TK sighs again, looking everywhere but at Carlos’ eyes, nervously wringing his hands together. “It’s so stupid. I don’t even know why I’m still thinking about it so much.”

“Hey.” Carlos interjects, voice serious but soft. “If it’s bothering you, then it’s not stupid.”

Carlos doesn’t say anything else, but he looks at him with eyes filled with warmth and understanding, sliding his hand across the table and stopping just a hair's breadth away from TK’s. So close he can feel the heat from his skin and yet not touching, waiting for him to make the first move.

TK doesn’t waste any time grabbing onto Carlos’ hand like a lifeline, lowering his gaze to his lap as he worries his bottom lip between his teeth. “Judd wanted to teach me how to drive the fire truck today. Apparently, he’d been talking about it all week. He even made bets on how long it’d take me to rear-end a light pole.”

TK looks back up when silence stretches on for a few seconds too many after he's stopped talking. Carlos is looking at him with one eyebrow raised, confusion clear on his face. “And that’s a problem because…?”

TK blinks slowly at his boyfriend, wondering how Carlos could possibly not know about this. He’s usually always so observant that it’s completely ridiculous how he’s missed such a glaring fact about him.

“Why do you think I always ask you to come pick me up for our dates?” TK asks, looking at his boyfriend with a mixture of fondness and exasperation.

Carlos smiles playfully, shrugging his shoulders. “Because you think I’m irresistibly hot in my camaro?”

Tk snorts, a goofy smile settling on his face as he rolls his eyes. “Yes. But also because I don’t have a driver’s license.”

“Ohhh.” Carlos leans back into his chair, eyes widening slightly like he can’t believe he’s never noticed that particular detail before. “I’m guessing Judd didn’t know either.”

“No. I had to tell him that I couldn’t do it. He said he didn’t mind and then made fun of me all day for not having my license.” TK rakes his free hand in his hair, smile quickly dropping from his face as he remembers the look in Judd’s eyes when he’d explained everything. “But I know he was disappointed. And I am, too. It sounded like so much fun, just hanging out with Judd and mercilessly running over some helpless orange cones.”

Carlos lets out a small huff of laughter and TK can’t help the way the corners of his lips twitch up in response. 

“But I also feel…” TK swallows hard as the words get stuck in his throat. 

The disappointment sucks, but he can deal with it. The problem is that there’s something else tugging inside his chest in a painfully familiar way.

Carlos squeezes his hand, giving him a reassuring smile, and TK takes a deep breath. “I just feel so guilty about it.”

“It’s not your fault.” Carlos tells him so quickly and with such conviction that TK finds himself completely overwhelmed by the love he has for the man sitting in front of him.

His boyfriend, oblivious to the fact that he’s just made a mess of his feelings with a simple sentence, keeps talking, determined to single-handedly relieve him of the guilt that's weighing down his heart. “You’ve lived your whole life in New-York, it makes total sense. You never needed a license before, you just didn’t think you’d need one now. There’s no-”

“That's not it.” TK interrupts, because he knows Carlos can keep reassuring him with facts and logic for hours if he doesn't. “I mean, sure, living in the middle of Manhattan with a subway stop at every corner and some of the worst traffic in the entire country is one of the reasons why I never got my license. But it’s not the only reason.”

TK takes a steadying breath, looks at the gentle face of the man he loves more than anything, and plainly says: “I started using when I was fifteen.”

It's definitely not the way Carlos thought this conversation was going, judging by his sharp intake of breath and the way he instinctively squeezes TK’s hand even tighter. He doesn't say anything but his eyes, if a little sad, are still full of love.

Apparently, it's everything TK needs to keep going. “When I turned sixteen and my dad started talking about giving me driving lessons, I freaked out. I was terrified, more than anything, of wrecking my car while I was high off my ass. Not because I was scared of dying, but because I knew I’d never be able to live with myself if I killed someone.”

TK stops talking, throat tight with emotions and vision blurry with unshed tears. Carlos lets go of his hand, and the loss of contact feels like a punch in the gut. 

But, before he has time to be upset about it, Carlos’ arms are around him, holding him tight. TK burrows himself in his boyfriend’s warmth, hiding his face against his chest and humming appreciatively when he feels the top of his head being softly kissed.

“Dad got mom involved at some point.” TK continues, voice muffled against Carlos’s sweater. “It became this whole thing. They would yell at each other on the phone for hours before mom would come into my room and try to sweet talk me into explaining why I refused to drive. I never said anything and, eventually, they just gave up. They were both busy with their job and my behavior was getting worse, so I guess they just didn't see the point in trying anymore.”

They stay like this for a while, holding on tight to each other and simply enjoying the comfort of being together.

It’s Carlos who breaks the silence first. “I'll teach you.”

TK leans his head backward, looking up at his boyfriend like he’s not quite sure he heard him right. “What?”

“I'll teach you!” Carlos repeats, louder this time and grinning from ear to ear. “Then you can get your license and you can learn to drive the fire truck with Judd. See, problem solved!”

TK grins back, his boyfriend’s enthusiasm contagious. He tugs intently at Carlos’ shirt, until his boyfriend gets the silent meaning of what he's asking for and sits in his lap. 

Then TK kisses him senseless, and hopes he understands the ‘thank you’ in his actions.  
___

The camaro is parked in an empty parking lot, TK sitting on the driver’s side and holding the steering wheel so tight his hands are starting to cramp. 

“You know, if you’ve changed your mind, I can drive us back home.” Carlos says to him kindly from his spot on the passenger side.

“No, it’s not that! it’s just-” TK leans his head against the headrest with a defeated sigh. “Carlos, this is your, very expensive, car. Are you sure you’re okay with me driving it? I know how much you care about it. I mean, I’ve even seen you talk to it.”

Carlos blushes all the way to the tip of his ears as he lets out an indignant noise. “That was one time!”

“Twice, actually.” TK corrects with a shit-eating grin. “You also call it ‘baby’ more than me. Which, rude, by the way.”

“That’s not-” Carlos stops, eyes drifting to the ceiling of the car as he thinks. “Okay, maybe... But that’s not the point right now.”

TK raises an unimpressed eyebrow, motioning for his boyfriend to go on.

“I don’t care if you somehow manage to total my car by driving straight into a pole while going five miles an hour. Yes, I care about my car, but I care about you a whole lot more. We’re going to take this as slow as you need to, okay?” Carlos waits for TK to nod before he continues, putting a gentle hand on his tight. “Just relax cariño, it’s going to be fine. I promise.”

TK takes a deep breath and forces himself to relax his tense shoulder and the white-knuckled grip he has on the steering wheel.

When his father had finally given him his first lesson, to celebrate the first time he'd been sober for a year, he’d told him that driving was a lot like riding a bike. Once you’ve done it once or twice, you’ll always remember how it works.  
___

It’s a lot like riding a bike. Except the bike weighs around 4000 pounds and goes from 0 to 60 in about 4 seconds.

They start by making slow circles in the parking lot, letting TK get his bearings and familiarise himself with the car. It doesn’t take long for him to gain confidence in his skills and, soon enough, they find themselves driving down smaller rural roads.

It’s going surprisingly well, and TK finds himself able to truly relax with the constant stream of Carlos’ steady advice and sarcastic jokes.

They’ve been aimlessly wandering for about half an hour now when TK rounds a corner a bit too tightly, coming dangerously close to the curb. 

The horrible cracking sound that comes from the side of the car resonates incredibly loud in TK’s ears.

He slams the brake, sending the car to a screeching halt in the middle of the thankfully empty street. Carlos curses as he slightly lurches forwards in his seat, the seatbelt digging into his chest. But it doesn’t seem to bother him as he quickly turns towards TK, eyes wide with worry. “Baby, are you okay?”

For a split second, TK wonders if Carlos is talking to him or the car.

It’s absolutely ridiculous, and the thought makes a startled laugh bubble out of him. He sounds a bit hysterical, but the worried look on Carlos’ face turns into an annoyed smile.

“I was asking you, asshole.” Carlos tells him with a roll of his eyes as he unbuckles his seatbelt, making TK laugh harder. 

His laughter dies down as he watches Carlos get out of the car and starts to inspect the damage.

There's a slight crease between his brows, the same one he gets when he's filing paperwork or reading a particularly good book. He doesn't look upset, but still, TK can't help the worry gnawing at his gut.

After a minute or two, Carlos walks around the car until he’s standing next to the driver’s side. He knocks on the window and TK lowers it for him. Carlos leans down and props himself against the door, using the advantage of his perch to kiss TK on the temple.

“The car’s fine.” He assures him with a smile and a shrug of his shoulders. “The rim’s a bit scratched, but it’s nothing a little paint can’t fix. Breathe, babe.”

“I don't know what you're talking about.” TK says as he takes a deep breath. “I’m perfectly relaxed right now.”

“If you say so.” Carlos snorts and leans himself further inside the car so he can kiss the spot on TK’s neck where he knows he's especially ticklish. “You wanna bring us home, tiger?”

TK bursts into giggles and shoves his boyfriend’s head out of the car. “Oh, absolutely not.”

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading, I hope you enjoyed!! <3


End file.
